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Friday, January 25, 2013

"We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths, that all of us are created equal, is the star that guides us still. Just as it guided our forebearers through Seneca Falls, and Selma and Stonewall, just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great mall to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone, to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth. It is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. For if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."
- President Barack Obama, January 21, 2013, emphasis is mine

However, as this 11 year old transgender girl Sadie asked, why weren't transgender people included in the speech?

Here's a great video dialog about it:

And here's Sadie's letter in response to President Obama's speech:

It reads in full:

Sadie's Dream for the World

The world would be a better place if everyone had the right to be themselves, including people who have a creative gender identity and expression. Transgender people are not allowed the freedom to do things everyone else does, like go to the docter [sic], go to school, get a job, and even make friends.

Transgender kids like me are not allowed to go to most schools because the teacher think we are different from everyone else. The schools get afraid of how they will talk with the other kids' parents, and transgender kids are kept secret or told not to come there anymore. Kids are told not to be friends with transgender kids, which makes us very lonely and sad.

When they grow up, transgender adults have a hard time getting a job because the boss thinks the customers will be scared away. Doctors are afraid of treating transgender patients because they don't know how to take care of them, and some doctors don't really want to help them. Transgender patients like me travel to other states to see a good doctor.

It would be a better world if everyone knew that transgender people have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. We like to make friends and want to go to school. Transgender people want to get good jobs and go to docters [sic] like they are exactly the same. It really isn't that hard to like transgender people because we are like everyone else.

Here's to the next four years, and may they continue the progress forward toward full equality for all gay, lesbian, bi, transgender and gender non-conforming people in the United States of America and beyond!

Namaste,
Lee

ps - my thanks to Greg for the heads-up on Sadie's letter.

pps - and an apology: in my excitement about being mentioned in the speech, I didn't think about the people who WEREN'T mentioned. I learned a lot from an 11 year old today, and I hope you did, too.

The Small Print: How To Recommend Books To Include, and a Disclaimer

Don't see your favorite Book here? First do a search in the top left search box. Then check my "Books Still To Come" list. If you still don't see it, just click on "Contact Me" and leave me a note. I appreciate all your help making this blogsite a comprehensive resource! Also, when you've read one of the books listed, help other visitors out by adding a review.

Submission Guidelines: If you are an author or publisher, I do not generally accept review copies, since I don't really review the books featured on this blog - My goal is to let readers review them. All I need is a synopsis (including what's significantly GLBTQ about the book - so I know why I should include it here), a link to the author website or some online info or interview with the author, and the book's release date (as I don't post on books before they are available to the public.) Please make sure to include your contact info so I can follow up with you!

Disclaimer: Having said that, some of the books discussed on this blog may have been provided by the author or publisher. While some Links when you click on a book cover image will take you to a bookstore online (as one option of how you can get the book), I do not currently have any commission or credit arrangement for linked purchases. The opinions expressed on this blog, unless they're a comment from someone else, are my own.

Please, be kind and patient with each other, with yourselves, and, well - with me. Thanks! Lee